in films like Oliver Stone’s ‘Wall
Street’. With this in mind, it’s easy
to see how female professionals
could opt for a different industry
when embarking on their career
path. This culture has not quite
been eliminated from the financial
sector, according to some female
buy-siders, but it is clear firms are
trying to stamp this out.

Alpha male culture

“Having worked on the sell-side inthe 90s I’ve experienced the alphamale culture at its worst. It wasdefinitely a lot more challengingfor women back then… There isstill an alpha male culture in someparts of the industry and whilstthey shouldn’t try to mimic thosebehaviours, it is really importantthat women are confident in theirability and views,” Drummondexplains.

Despite the challenges, women
on the buy-side are optimistic for
the future and see initiatives asset
management firms are putting into
place as being able to lure more
women into the industry.

Victoria Kelly, head of Europeantrading at Fidelity Investments,At Aberdeen Asset Management,a support programme was estab-lished to help employees who havetaken career breaks of two or moreyears. It aims to mentor, coachand support those coming back to